Friday

A growing number of respondents to an annual I-495 corridor employer survey say more affordable housing for employees is integral to business expansion.

FRAMINGHAM – State Rep. Jack Lewis moved to Framingham seven years ago because of the quality of life the community offers and its affordability.

Lewis and his spouse, who also works, were able to purchase a home for $235,000 in 2012. That house is now worth about $410,000, he said.

“It was the community where we could actually buy a house,” Lewis, D-Framingham, told attendees at a breakfast with business leaders and legislators at Framingham State University on Friday. “… It was the only thing we could afford.”

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When Lewis and his family, which includes three children, moved into this neighborhood, other young families moved in as well. Now, as Lewis looks around his neighborhood, he notices young families are not moving into the area anymore because rents and home prices have risen beyond the reach of middle-class, duel-income families.

The lack of affordable housing is a growing concern for the region's businesses, according to an annual regional employer survey. The survey, which was completed by 156 businesses in the MetroWest and Milford region, is sponsored by Framingham State University, the 495/MetroWest Partnership and the Daily News. The results of the survey were released Friday morning at the breakfast.

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A growing number of businesses that responded to the survey said more affordable housing is needed in order for them to expand. Nearly half of the businesses surveyed expect to hire additional staff in the coming year.

“It’s still certainly a concern,” said Michael Harrison Ph.D., a business professor at Framingham State, who created the survey and analyzed the results.

Suzanne Duca, director of research for CBRE Group, which tracks the real estate business, said there is a growing trend of companies keeping an office in Boston, but opening second locations in MetroWest and other the suburbs. The trend is fueled in part by high rents in Boston, traffic, and a growing desire on the part of workers to live in the suburbs.

“That’s driven by this growing, aging millennial population that now wants and needs to be in the (suburbs),” said Duca.

Affordable housing, however, continues to be difficult to find in MetroWest and other I-495 corridor cities and towns.

When the Boston-area and MetroWest were in the running to land Amazon’s HQ2 several of Harrison’s students said they hoped the company picked a different location because the students were already finding it hard to find affordable housing in the area. The students feared an influx of new jobs and people would push up housing costs even more due to increased demand. Amazon chose Arlington, Virginia, for its HQ2.

Lewis said one of the new downtown Framingham apartment complexes is offering an affordable studio unit for $1,800 a month. Prospective renters are required to enter a lottery for that unit because of the large number of people looking for affordable housing, he said.

“I couldn’t afford that,” said Lewis. “What does it mean that my mortgage is $1,300 a month and I’m trying to encourage millennials to move to Framingham to take the overcrowded commuter rail into Boston to pay $1,800 a month. I can’t get my mind around it.”

State Rep. Brian Murray, D-Milford, advocated for more mixed-use developments that include a mix of high-end and affordable housing units. Those developments – which include residential, commercial and retail tenants – would ensure that developers will turn a profit and attract millennials.

Large homes with multiple acres are not what younger generations are looking to purchase, said Murray.

“That’s not working anymore and quite frankly,” said Murray. “… Young people are looking for a different living dynamic than folks did in the '80s or '70s.”

Lewis said the conversation about affordable housing should be expanded to include middle-class, duel-income families, who are not eligible for affordable housing programs under state income formula. These families find themselves priced out of the dream of owning a home, he said.

"Buying a home is an integral part of many families' dreams," Lewis said. "Framingham allows my family to achieve this dream."

"There are people who grow up in Framingham, and work in Framingham, that have to move out of the community they love because of the cost of housing is too high," he continued. "This reality takes people further away from their families, complicates child care for many, and only adds to worsening traffic."

Jeff Malachowski can be reached at 508-490-7466 or jmalachowski@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @JmalachowskiMW.